2023/07/17 by O. Busch, Busch, Oliver, Franziska Ziolkowski +7 · 3 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Chemical Physics Studies #Atomic and Molecular Physics #FOS: Physical sciences #Laser-Matter Interactions and Applications #Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2307.08444
openalex publication_date 2023/07/17 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/02
The orbital Hall effect can generate currents of angular momentum more efficiently than the spin Hall effect in most metals. However, so far, it has only been understood as a steady state phenomenon. In this theoretical study, the orbital Hall effect is extended into the time domain. We investigate the orbital angular momenta and their currents induced by a femtosecond laser pulse in a Cu nanoribbon. Our numerical simulations provide detailed insights into the laser-driven electron dynamics on ultrashort timescales with atomic resolution. The ultrafast orbital Hall effect described in this work is consistent with the familiar pictorial representation of the static orbital Hall effect, but we also find pronounced differences between physical quantities that carry orbital angular momentum and those that carry charge. For example, there are deviations in the time series of the respective currents. This study lays the foundations for investigating ultrafast Hall effects in confined metallic systems.